I have our second bedroom dedicated to my cook’s library where I store all my cookbooks. It’s such a great place because all of my the cooking & baking resources are at my fingertips. Sometimes surfing the web for recipes can be a bit mundane and I find pleasure in flipping through actual books. Tonight I decided to prepare a recipe from Rachel Ray’s Express Meals cookbook. I’m not much of a Rachel Ray fan but I do love her creativeness in some of the dishes she has.

** I’ve also chosen to submit this recipe to the Bookmarked Recipes blogging event, hosted by Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments every Monday. **

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the EVOO once around the pan. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring, about 2 to 3 minutes. While the bacon is getting crisp, get the leeks ready.

To clean the leeks, cut each in half lengthwise, then thinly slice each half into half moons. Fill a large bowl with cold water, transfer the sliced leeks to the water and swoosh the leeks around in the water, and then let them sit without messing with them for a minute. Using your hands, skin the leeks from the water without disturbing the grunge that has settled to the bottom. Drain the leeks thoroughly, feeling them for grit. If you feel some, repeat the cleaning profess with a clean bowl of water. Don’t forget to thoroughly wipe off your cutting board after chopping the leeks, otherwise the next thing you chop on the board will have sand and grit in it.

Once the bacon is crisp, remove it from the skillet to a paper-towel-lined plate and reserve. Don’t wipe the skill out; there is lots of bacon flavor in there. Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat and add the leeks, half teh garlic, the thyme, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and cook, stirring occassionally for 3 minutes. Add the white wine and cook for 1 minute, then add the chicken stock and half and half or heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium low. Simmer the mixture for about 10 to 12 minutes, until tender and creamy.

While the leeks are cooking, start the salmon. Season the salmon on all sides with some salt & pepper. On a plate, combine the parsley, dill, the remaining garlic, and the lemon zest. Preheat a medium or large nonstick skillet over medium heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Once the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets herb side down. Cook the salmon about 2 to 3 minutes on the herb side, then turn the heat up to medium high, flip the salmon, and continue to sook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Add the reserved crispy bacon to the leeks and stir to continue. Divide the leeks among 4 serving plates. Top each pile of leeks with a portion of the salmon. Cut the lemon into wedges and squeeze the juice over the fish. Service with some crusty bread on the side.

In a saucepan, add potatoes and cover with water. Boil potatoes until tender.While potatoes are boiling, combine the goat cheese, parsley, dill and lemon rind in a bowl.Mix everything in the bowl until fully combined.Drain potatoes when tender and place back in sauce pan.Add the goat cheese mixture and warmed cream/half & half to the potatoes.Mash and stir until combined and slightly chunky.You can add salt & pepper to taste, but I found it to be fine just from the saltiness of the goat cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Tear off a sheet of foil (about 8×12 inches).Place garlic halves onto the foil.Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.Wrap the garlic & jalepenos into a foil packet and place in preheated oven.Bake for 30 – 45 minutes; set aside to cool.Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and add chopped potatoes.Cook potatoes until softened and drain.Place potatoes into a large bowl.Add butter, half & half, salt & pepper to taste.When cooled, squeeze garlic out of paper wrappings and place into large bowl.Mash potatoes with all ingredients until you reach your desired consistency.Add more butter/half & half if preferred.Garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Roll out the dough as indicated for the Apple Galette, about 1/16-inch thick and in a 1 3-inch circle. Place on a large cookie sheet.

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the oil. Add the potato slices and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on high heat until the slices start to look transparent and a few are slightly browned. Let cool a few minutes and spread the potatoes on the dough. Fold over the border of the dough as for Apple Galette.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, until it is nicely browned. Spread the cream on top and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve lukewarm in wedges.

Thoroughly wash potatoes and boil with the skins on until tender (about 25 minutes). Remove potatoes from pan and drain the water. Return the potatoes to the pot and place over a low heat shaking constantly to dry the potatoes. Peel and chop potatoes into 1/4-inch pieces. Place potato pieces in a large bowl and toss with onions, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside. Meanwhile combine the vinegar, water and sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Whisk egg in a bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over top while stirring. Add salad oil and stir. Pour this mixture over potatoes and place in a large skillet or pot over a low heat. Cook until evenly heated. Top with crumbled bacon.

The brava sauceIn a saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft. Turn off the heat, and add the paprika, Tabasco sauce, and thyme, stirring well. Transfer to a bowl and add the ketchup and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

The potatoesSprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet fry the potatoes in 1 cup (8 fl. oz) olive oil until cooked through and golden-brown, stirring occasionally. (Take care when adding the potatoes to the saucepan because the oil will splatter due to the salt). Drain the potatoes on paper towels, check the seasoning, add more salt if necessary, and set it aside.

Getting it all togetherMix the potatoes with the sauce inmediately before serving to ensure that the potatos retain their crispness. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.